South Korea’s obesity treatment market is set for a broader competitive battle as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly seek approval for oral versions of their leading drugs, while Hanmi Pharmaceutical advances its domestically developed injectable EPPE. Novo Nordisk has filed for Wegovy Pill, based on semaglutide, and Eli Lilly has submitted Foundayo, based on orforglipron, to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The companies have not disclosed launch dates, but industry sources said the pills could become available as early as the second half of next year. Both oral drugs launched in the United States at $149 a month for the starting dose, about 85% below the roughly $1,000 starting price of injectable Wegovy and Mounjaro. Wegovy Pill uses a peptide-based formulation focused on efficacy but requires fasting and water-based dosing, while Foundayo is a synthetic small-molecule drug with fewer administration restrictions. Hanmi’s EPPE is in the final approval stage, with October authorization and a launch within this year targeted. Its projected price in the 100,000-won range could challenge current four-week starting-dose prices of 216,000 won for Wegovy and 278,000 won for Mounjaro. EPPE’s Phase 3 trial in 448 Korean patients recorded average weight loss of 9.75% after 40 weeks, and the product will be manufactured at Hanmi’s Pyeongtaek bioplant.